Exercise equipment for home use is very popular since it enables people to engage in exercise routines at home without having to buy expensive gym memberships or find the time to go to the gym. Consequently, many exercise devices have been developed for home use. Certain home-designed exercise equipment has even been developed for use in commercial gym settings.
Of particular relevance to the present invention are exercise devices that have been developed for exercising the abdominal muscles. Devices for this purpose are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,097,602 to Kim; U.S. Pat. No. 7,232,404 to Nelson; U.S. Pat. No. 8,012,072 to Forcilla; U.S. Pat. No. 7,614,986 to Mattox; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,357 to Jones. These devices vary in their means of operation to exercise the abdominal muscles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,097,602 is directed to a device that is placed on and moved by the abdominal muscles as a means of strengthening those muscles. U.S. Pat. No. 7,232,404 discloses a device that employs a slidable platform on which the user kneels such that the user's abdominal muscles become the instrument for effecting movement of the slidable platform. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,853,357; 8,012,072 and 4,623,144 each disclose a device that employs ancillary movement of the arms, is a region above the waist, against a weight or resistance device to exercise the abdominal muscles.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 9,017,231 to Kosich discloses a device for use in exercising a user's upper and lower leg muscles. The Kosich device discloses a vertically extending structure having a foot-engaging portion at the top of two parallel structures with barbell weights attached to the parallel structures. An alternative embodiment of the Kosich device comprises a foot strap on either side of which is a weight.